


Remember

by AleishaDreams



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 10:50:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9652700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AleishaDreams/pseuds/AleishaDreams
Summary: He remembers the day he met Shiro like it was yesterday.He clearly remembers the smell of rain, the gray sunlight from the cloudy sky, the cold air… he even remembers the taste of his orange juice that morning.It didn’t happen like in romance books – not at all – if he had to compare it to something, he would say that fateful meeting was a tragic comedy.Yes.Tragic.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This has been an idea I've had for a while and suddenly felt inspired to write it.
> 
> Un-beta'd.

He remembers the day he met Shiro like it was yesterday.

He clearly remembers the smell of rain, the gray sunlight from the cloudy sky, the cold air… he even remembers the taste of his orange juice that morning.

It didn’t happen like in romance books – not at all – if he had to compare it to something, he would say that fateful meeting was a tragic comedy.

Yes.

Tragic.

Tragic in the sense that neither of them had any idea of what would happen in their futures. Neither of them knew how tragic their story would be—

Correction: is.

Keith sometimes forgets he is living the present.

The day he met Shiro was a Wednesday. He, of course, had already heard of the “mighty” and “talented” Takashi Shirogane: a Senior student that had just graduated by the time Keith entered the Garrison but stayed as a Tutor – a role that only a few selected students were asked to take – but Keith never had the opportunity to meet him in person.  That is, until that morning in the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was a mess, as it always was in the mornings, full of students eating at a really unhealthy speed because they don’t want to be late for class. Keith, much to his disgrace, was one of these students. He was in such a rush to throw away his garbage after eating his breakfast that he didn’t notice the tall man behind him, splashing his – shitty – remaining orange juice all over the man’s uniform and his own. What’s worse is that he let go of the plastic tray, it hitting the floor hard and echoing through the cafeteria.

In a matter of seconds, hundreds of eyes were on him and the other man.

Keith was annoyed, to say the least.

“Are you okay?” The other man asked him, and it was just then that Keith saw him. Tall, tanned, black hair, and dark brown eyes. He was wearing a Tutor uniform.

“Yes,” Keith mumbled, looking down to the mess on the floor. He knew he should apologize but he was still pissed, and annoyed, at all the people looking at him.

“Is your hand okay?” The Tutor asked him.

Keith didn’t notice before, but he was scratching the back of his hand just where his Mark – an abstract figure he never figured what it was – rested. For some reason, it was burning slightly. It wasn’t painfully hot; it felt just like when you hold a hot cup of coffee. But, to Keith’s surprise, his Mark had changed color.

Where his mark was a dull gray now a vibrant gold laid.

His eyes went wide at the sight, but he had to look away when the man before him gasped. The man was looking at his own hand, too, and Keith couldn’t help it when he choked when seeing another golden mark on that man’s hand.

After that, the man introduced himself as Takashi Shirogane, Garrison Tutor, 23 years old.

Keith Kogane’s soul mate.

Tragic.

Romance books usually made it look easy. You found your soul mate, you live happily ever after.

For a while, it was like that for Keith. A constant estate of happiness of being with Shiro, his soul mate. It was awkward in the beginning, as Keith had never been a social person – much less romantic in any sense – but Shiro was patient from the beginning. Shiro knew when to push, when to pull, and when to let go so Keith never felt uncomfortable.

Keith had to learn a lot of things. He had to learn how to talk directly about things without being a total brusque. He had to learn that problems were better solved if talked calmly. He had to learn that a discussion wasn’t the end of things.

He had to learn to control his heart every time Shiro kissed him.

Yes, he learnt a lot of things in his time with Shiro.

**But there was one thing he never learnt.**

“I was chosen for the Kerberos Mission,” Shiro told him one night, just after kissing him on the roof.

He remembers that night like it was yesterday.

He remembers the open, black sky, the bright moon, the hot air from the desert… he even remembers the look in Shiro’s eyes.

It wasn’t exactly a surprise for Keith. For anyone at that. Shiro had told him he had filled the try out for the mission. Keith even wished him good luck when he did. It was obvious Shiro was going to be chosen for such an important mission. In fact, the only person who was doubtful about it was Shiro himself.

But not Keith. No. He knew exactly what would happen.

“Congrats, Shiro. I knew you’d get it,” Keith said, looking away to the vast desert.

“Thank you,” Shiro replied.

Keith knew there was something lingering just under Shiro’s words, and it annoyed the hell out of it because he knew what that something was.

“Time goes by really fast,” Shiro said in the end, “I’ll be here before you even realize I was gone.”

Keith chuckled at that. He knew Shiro knew that was a lie.

“I promise I won’t crash and die. I know you’d kill me if I did,” Shiro joked, pushing Keith a little with a hand.

“Stop that,” Keith replied. This wasn’t the moment for Shiro’s fatalist type of humor. Still, he smiled because he knew Shiro was trying.

“Don’t miss me too much, Keith.”

Shiro passed an arm on Keith’s shoulders to bring him closer. Keith allowed it.

“You are the one who pouts whenever I have to do homework and can’t hang out,” Keith replied with a snort.

 

 

 

“It was a pilot’s error,” the TV said.

“It was Takashi Shirogane’s fault,” the whispers repeated.

He doesn’t remember the day Kerberos Mission failed.

He doesn’t remember what classes he had at the time, what day it was, what he had for breakfast… he doesn’t even remember if he was breathing.

And yet, he doesn’t care if he doesn’t remember that day.

If it was up to him, he’d delete that day from time’s line. It’d be better like that.

Because the only thing he remembers it’s the pain.

It hurt so badly he simply stopped caring.

The Garrison at first was lenient to him, understanding that he had lost his soul mate, but that only made Keith hurt more and angrier.

They didn’t believe him when he told them Shiro wasn’t dead. That he could **feel** him out there. That his Mark still vibrated with the mere thought of Shiro.

But they didn’t believe him.

It was a matter of time for Keith to abandon the Garrison.

He could say he did it because he was depressed, but that would be lying.

Keith abandoned the Garrison because he was forced to do so.

Something inside of him told him to drop. A mysterious force pulled him out of there and pushed him to the desert, back into this old cabin he once called home before the Garrison.

He stayed there. Still. Waiting. Expecting for something to happen.

Then it happened.

He stopped feeling Shiro.

His mark didn’t vibrate anymore. The warmth inside his chest didn’t heal him in cold nights anymore. The strength that pulled him stopped and left him alone.

Tears were spilled that night. Big, hot, and painful tears rolled down his cheeks. All those tears he didn’t drop for the past weeks finally broke free from his cage and he couldn’t stop them.

Keith didn’t sleep that night even though his body, tired and hurt, screamed for rest. He couldn’t fall asleep when his mark felt so cold and out of life.

Still, Keith stayed in that cabin. Waiting.

He started to wear gloves since that day.

A few weeks later, he felt another kind of force, energy, pulling him deeper into the desert.

 

 

 

He remembers his body trembling, his blood rushing with adrenaline, and all of his senses excited and on alert.

It all happened too fast.

Something, something deep inside his body, pulled him out of his cabin that night.

Not in a million years he imagined what he found inside the Garrison’s camp.

“It’s good to be back,” Shiro replied to Keith. Keith believed him.

What Keith couldn’t believe was how much Shiro had changed. From the scar on his face, to his white hair.

To his missing arm and mark.

They had a lot to talk about, but not the time. Something big was about to happen. The soft touches, the gentle words, the warm kisses, all of that had to wait. Because Shiro had always been a leader, ready to strike whatever came on his way, and this time was no different.

So, they had to wait.

 

 

 

“Keith?”

He punched the boxing bag one last time before directing his eyes to the gym room’s door. Shiro was there, resting his shoulder on the door frame with his arm crossed. He was smiling.

“What is it?” Keith questioned.

In that specific night, it had been a month since they started traveling in the castle with the rest of the paladins, Allura, and Coran, and it had been all a mess of training, escaping, and learning to drive and form Voltron. In all of that mess, they – Shiro and Keith – hadn’t have the time to talk peacefully and calmly about themselves, about what they wanted and expected.

Keith suspected it was because the both of them were scared.

“We need to talk,” Shiro said before finally entering the room. The automatic door closed behind him.

“Talk about what?”

Keith walked to the towel he left on the floor, picking it up, and cleaned his sweat from his forehead. He heard Shiro sigh behind him.

They weren’t mad at each other. At least, Keith wasn’t mad at Shiro. But a whole year had passed between them. A year they both suffered different things.

Keith suffered loneliness. Shiro suffered unspeakable things.

“About us,” Shiro continues, taking Keith’s hand and caressing the back of his hand with his robotic thumb, “About this.”

Keith swallowed dry.

“I love you, Keith.”

Shiro’s words were so raw, so sincere, and honest. They came from his heart’s core. Keith believed him.

“I know, Shiro,” Keith replied.

“Does it hurt? You know… the mark.”

Keith shook his head. It stopped hurting a long time ago. Now all he felt from his mark was numbness. Keith stared at Shiro’s robotic hand for a moment, and Shiro must had noticed because then he speaks.

“I don’t remember when or why they cut my arm.”

Keith looked at his companion. Shiro never talked about his time as a Galra prisoner. Mainly because he didn’t remember, but also because it was painful to do it. That was why Keith knew he had to pay attention to every word Shiro was willing to share with him.

Shiro chuckled a little, but Keith can see the pain in his honest eyes. “To be honest, I don’t remember much of those days, but…”

The brown eyes finally look at him. “But I remember the pain of losing my arm. No, that wasn’t it. It was the pain of losing my mark.”

Keith swallowed again.

“It was really painful… and it was the first time I actually thought ‘ah, I’m going to die here’.” Shiro licked his lips. His eyes looked away for a second but soon returned to Keith’s blues. He was nervous and scared. “But now I’m here, back with you, and that makes me happy.”

“I’m happy too,” Keith was quick to add.

“I know it isn’t my fault, but I’m still sorry for this.”

“Don’t be sorry for something it wasn’t your fault. And who cares if you don’t have your mark anymore, or that my mark is numb? My mark is good enough to fill us both.”

Shiro smiled at him before slowly lean in to join their lips in a kiss.

Keith had to remember how to control his heart.

 

 

 

He remembers his life with Shiro. How accidental their meeting was. How blissful their first months together were. How happy he was when he got Shiro back.

He remembers everything he had to learn for being with Shiro.

**But he forgot there was something he never learnt.**

The Black Lion is empty. Allura can’t explain what happened. Pidge can’t find any signal.

Keith remembers he never learnt how to be without Shiro.

 


End file.
